What a fascinating interview — and what a way to bring your influential readers into the picture/ For most Canadians, the Yukon, the Territory and Nunavut are out of sight and out of mind. And that needs to change. This discussion as a step toward making that change...
Excellent piece, eloquent guest. Years ago McLeans Magazine published an article entitled “The Truth About Our Arctic Defence…There is None!” It sort of reflected the Premier’s comment about sending out a search party. The nonsense that Russian ships and submarines would arrive and disembark battalions of invaders has to be curtailed. If Russia attacked North America it would be with ICBM’s armed with nukes. The much more important topic as the Premier outlined is corridors of movement. Even the Americans have financed a railway proposal from Fort McMurray to Alaska. It is a vast and wonderful frontier full of amazing people, including our Rangers who legend has it fired a rifle shot at the periscope of a submarine!
On the BC news this morning they said the government of BC will levy a $20 surcharge to any out of province campers who wish to stay in BC campsites. So much for "Team Canada."
And the premier of the NWT needs to get out more. The only way to the Northwest Territories is not by highway from BC and through the Yukon, there is a very nice highway running straight north through Alberta that goes to Hay River and continues on to Yellowknife without entering BC or the Yukon.
I think the context is "you can't get to Inuvik or Tuk by road unless you drive the Dempster from Whitehorse YT". It's a beautiful but VERY long and tempermental drive. To go from Yellowknife to Inuvik by road in the summer you need to drive through BC and the Yukon.
Decades ago, employment provided a sharp-eyed view of northern Canada. It's been on my radar ever since... wondering when our government would consider the ENTIRE country's needs.
This fascinating interview left me informed & inspired.
The Arctic is far from ‘the soft underbelly’ of North America’s defence.
It is equally difficult to mount an invasion there as it is to defend against one.
If Canada wants to retain its sovereignty over the area, it must establish subsea superiority - the ability to detect and deal with submarine challenges from foreign countries.
Surface control would be extremely difficult for Canada to maintain other than by air and subsea assets but an aggressor would find it even more difficult to hold any area they occupied and to supply their forces.
Surface units would be sitting ducks for both subsea and air attack.
I’m more concerned with the U.S.-led consortium taking over Canada’s nuclear waste management, with a proposed repository adjacent to the source of drinking water for seven million. When and where to replace compliance with defiance?
Is the dilapidated rail line to Churchill, Manitoba presently in the hands of the Americans? I read an article about it a few years ago..........passengers were stuck and nearly froze to death because of lack of heat! Did I dream this?
What a fascinating interview — and what a way to bring your influential readers into the picture/ For most Canadians, the Yukon, the Territory and Nunavut are out of sight and out of mind. And that needs to change. This discussion as a step toward making that change...
Excellent interview. People in the rest of Canada pay little attention to the north, but Simpson’s remarks show why they should.
“Canada’s Arctic is the soft Underbelly of North American Defence”.
Correction: “Canada is the soft Underbelly of North American Defence”.
Excellent piece, eloquent guest. Years ago McLeans Magazine published an article entitled “The Truth About Our Arctic Defence…There is None!” It sort of reflected the Premier’s comment about sending out a search party. The nonsense that Russian ships and submarines would arrive and disembark battalions of invaders has to be curtailed. If Russia attacked North America it would be with ICBM’s armed with nukes. The much more important topic as the Premier outlined is corridors of movement. Even the Americans have financed a railway proposal from Fort McMurray to Alaska. It is a vast and wonderful frontier full of amazing people, including our Rangers who legend has it fired a rifle shot at the periscope of a submarine!
Good interview. Nice to get a north perspective, and I appreciated his positive tone. Hopefully they can get real traction on those projects.
On the BC news this morning they said the government of BC will levy a $20 surcharge to any out of province campers who wish to stay in BC campsites. So much for "Team Canada."
And the premier of the NWT needs to get out more. The only way to the Northwest Territories is not by highway from BC and through the Yukon, there is a very nice highway running straight north through Alberta that goes to Hay River and continues on to Yellowknife without entering BC or the Yukon.
I think the context is "you can't get to Inuvik or Tuk by road unless you drive the Dempster from Whitehorse YT". It's a beautiful but VERY long and tempermental drive. To go from Yellowknife to Inuvik by road in the summer you need to drive through BC and the Yukon.
Wow. What an impressive man. Great interview, Paul.
Decades ago, employment provided a sharp-eyed view of northern Canada. It's been on my radar ever since... wondering when our government would consider the ENTIRE country's needs.
This fascinating interview left me informed & inspired.
The Arctic is far from ‘the soft underbelly’ of North America’s defence.
It is equally difficult to mount an invasion there as it is to defend against one.
If Canada wants to retain its sovereignty over the area, it must establish subsea superiority - the ability to detect and deal with submarine challenges from foreign countries.
Surface control would be extremely difficult for Canada to maintain other than by air and subsea assets but an aggressor would find it even more difficult to hold any area they occupied and to supply their forces.
Surface units would be sitting ducks for both subsea and air attack.
I’m more concerned with the U.S.-led consortium taking over Canada’s nuclear waste management, with a proposed repository adjacent to the source of drinking water for seven million. When and where to replace compliance with defiance?
Is the dilapidated rail line to Churchill, Manitoba presently in the hands of the Americans? I read an article about it a few years ago..........passengers were stuck and nearly froze to death because of lack of heat! Did I dream this?
Presently American-owned? No. It’s owned by Arctic Gateway Group. 
Was it American-owned in the past? Yes, under OmniTRAX before the 2018 takeover. 
Did a major “stuck in Churchill” rail story happen? Yes, in 2017 after washouts.